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Critics Consensus: This Christmas features strong performances and a sharp portrayal of family dynamics, but relies too heavily on holiday movie clichés.
Critic Consensus: This Christmas features strong performances and a sharp portrayal of family dynamics, but relies too heavily on holiday movie clichés.
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All Critics (82) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (37) | DVD (5)
o matter how silly the situation, each member of the uniformly strong cast creates a nice balance between sentimental and sweet -- which is just how every holiday gathering should feel.
This is good-natured, determinedly aspirational African-American entertainment, but did it have to be quite so heavy on the clichés?
I could actually see this becoming kind of a minor perennial during the holidays.
If the real-life Christmas experience tends too often to be marred by the rude contradiction between expectations and reality, movies like the ultra-bland holiday family movie This Christmas are at least partly to blame.
An incoherent mess in which scenes of teary reconciliations sit uncomfortably next to protracted gags involving catfights, car wrecks and a big bottle of baby oil.
Christmas won't wow anyone with its audacity or originality, but it's bound to make plenty of people happy with its slick, crowd-pleasing familiarity.
Tries to be a Christmas film about real ishoos but it is quite boring and predictable and sentimental and the acting is not very good. It is therefore perfect for Christmas, and upholds all the traditions very, very well.
Easily the best film of its genre since 'Soul Food' and definitely makes for a excellent holiday season treat.
A happy Christmas package that more or less ignores the fact that it's a black American family story
Family holiday dramedy has some iffy content.
If you're looking for a film that celebrates the holiday spirit, This Christmas would be my first suggestion because it's heartfelt and not too sweet.
Here's a family you'll want to visit for the holidays. Maybe you'll event want to stay through New Year's.
It was okay for a Christmas movie. Gets a bit sentimental at the end, but I think that's true of most for this genre. On the whole I enjoyed it and it was nice to see a Christmas movie focusing on an African American family. The one thing that really bothered me and is the reason i took a half star off my rating, is because of the baby oil beating scene. Yes, I got that the husband was a liar and sleaze and had been treating his wife like crap for years, but that was really pretty bad. If it had have been the husband doing that to the wife, I don't think it would have been portrayed in a humorous light. Beating is still beating, it is wrong whoever does it. Anyhow, that small issue aside, this was an enjoyable movie, good to watch at Christmas time. Likeable cast and some laughs and dysfunction mixed in with the cheese.
Super Reviewer
Too much Family Drama Movie for me.
Just to watch when you got nothing to do else, it was an ok movie nothing big. A Christmas time drama centered around the Whitfield family's first holiday together in four years
This is one soulful and incredible "home for the holidays" family movie. This particular family the Whitfields have had their ups and downs and have returned home for the holidays after 4 years. Join them as they get ready to celebrate the joy of the holiday season.
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